By Celine Imbaud I’m sure we have all heard about some of the funny misunderstandings that can come from being an American in England or an Englishman in America. While we do share most aspects of our language, there are some in which we are truly divided by a common language. The first, and … Continue reading "English on both sides of the pond"

While the words in this title are good ways to end conversations, a ‘valediction’ is the official way to describe the end part of a letter, just above the signature. In fact, the word ‘valediction’ comes from the Latin ‘vale dicere’ meaning ‘to say farewell’. It is also referred to as a ‘complimentary close’. As … Continue reading "“So long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, goodbye!”"

The globalization of business means that companies often have a need for employees who are proficient in a foreign language. Unscrupulous job candidates may sometimes exaggerate their foreign language skills, transforming familiarity of basic greetings into basic knowledge, or conversational language skills into high level proficiency. Just watch Catherine Tate in action, standing in as … Continue reading "Language Proficiency: Conversational Gibberish"